Reviews

To: scrappy8: Thank youuu! :) I am also glad they're okay! :)

To: Quill will 1981: Thank youuu! Glad you liked it! Am trying my best, right now I am still posting weekly but I'll see, maybe I can manage to get out a bit more :)

Thank you all for your reviews! They mean a lot to me and keep me motivated to continue the story :)

Notes

This is the last Chapter of the prologue!

Please review and tell me what you think about it! :)

Chapter Summary

The last few discussions out of the way, Lily thinks back to their adventure one more time, coming to terms with what happened.
A friend richer she looks to the future in great hope!

Chapter Five. Endings and Beginnings

"—We went after them to save Luna…" Lily finished quietly, defeat in her voice.

For a second nobody spoke, the room still under an almost deafening silence.
Before her mother basically exploded.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!" She screamed in a mixture of panic and anger. Before she simply burrowed her face in her hands.
"Please tell me you're joking…" She exclaimed, her voice muffled.
"Please just tell me you made this all up…"

Ginny swallowed, looking between her two parents, she wasn't sure if her mother was crying right now, while her father seemed like he was trying to keep a calm expression, but failing miserably.

"I— I am sorry…"
She whispered, not being able to say anything else, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Her dad simply reached out his hand, taking hers in his before he also spoke up his voice calm but full of worry.

"Ginny, are you aware of how dangerous those creatures are? You could have died—" He explained, his blue eyes now wandering over to where Lily was currently sitting, her gaze mindlessly fixed on the wooden table in front of her.

"—Both of you! Forest Trolls are extremely hostile and dangerous, there is a reason why slaying a forest troll by yourself is one of the highest esteemed— coming of age —rituals for imperial Knights." Arthur explained a serious look on his face, his deep blue eyes boring into them.
"You two were more than lucky today, and I am disappointed in you, Ginevra!"

Ginny heard Lily sigh next to her before the other redhead suddenly spoke up.
"I am so sorry, Mr Weasley, it was foolish and reckless of us to go after them—"
Lily's eyes snapped up, they were brimming with tears, yet Ginny detected something else in there.

Was it..?
Yes, it was!
It was confidence! Ginny had no idea how and from where, but it seemed like her friend had found some confidence deep within herself.
Ginny attentively listened as Lily continued, her voice now loud and clear.

"— But I would do the exact same thing again a thousand times over if it means our friend Luna gets to live!" She now met her parent's eyes confidently. Both of them seemed dumbstruck at the young girl's declaration, not saying anything as Lily continued.

"Your daughter is the bravest girl I have ever met, she saved my life, she saved Luna's life! She is smart and funny and an amazing friend! You should be proud!"
Lily now stood up. "We faced two forest trolls today who had kidnapped Luna one of our best friends, and we came out victorious, and your daughter played the most important part in that!"

Her voice rang out through the otherwise quiet room, no one else saying a word, and Ginny felt pride swell up in her chest.
Lily was right! They had faced two forest trolls today and got out their friend in the process, and yet here they were, safe and alive, a few bruises and scratches richer but that was nothing new for Ginny anyway.

She swiftly jumped to her feet as well, her eyes now confidently gazing over her still dumbstruck family.
"She is right! Our decision might have been reckless and dangerous but I stand by what we did, and would do the exact same again in a heartbeat! Luna is alive and at home reunited with her father, and so are we!"

They both stood there, shoulder to shoulder, their posture tall and confident. They would apologize for their rash and naive decision-making, but they wouldn't apologize for going after their friend. Never.

The room fell totally silent for a good minute, nobody saying anything, her brothers all looking terribly out of place, seemingly just wanting to leave this whole mess, and Ginny couldn't blame them.
Her parents simply stared at each other, having one of their classic wordless conversations, as Ginny liked to call it.

After a while that seemed like a little eternity her mother simply nodded, now turning towards the two girls again.

"You are right, you two acted naive and without turning on your brains for even a split second, going after a creature ten times your size that could have killed you with one single swipe from it's claws—"

"—You risked your lives, well knowing you could easily end up as troll dinner, and you did something so incredibly dumb—"
She stopped for a second as she shook her head.

"— yet so incredibly brave, that I can't be anything but proud, as much as it goes against every motherly instinct there is."
She explained, looking tired but a small smile tugging on her lips, making Ginny grin in return.

"Tomorrow we want the full story!" Her father continued, pride in his voice, making Ginny beam, before he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't think that means no punishments though!" He exclaimed as Ginny winced.

"No playing outside for the next two weeks, and no sword training for a month! And, yes I will tell Bill! And If I catch you with one of his wooden ones it will land straight in the fireplace, no mercy!"
His voice now stern, and Ginny only nodded in agreement, her eyes fixed on the floor.
She knew it was justified, and she would take it without complaint, honestly, she got off easy she thought.

They continued explaining what had happened on this crazy day, going over every little detail, Lily chiming in whenever Ginny forgot about something or accidentally missed anything.
They really told them everything, everything but one major detail they consciously left out, was what had happened at the end of their encounter, the way Ginny had sent that troll flying.

They simply lied that they had managed to shake the creatures off, on their way out of the forest. Earning them a handful of suspicious looks, especially from Percy, but otherwise, it stayed uncommented.

After every last detail had been squeezed from the conversation, her parents as well as Percy finally left the room, to discuss what had happened and the consequences of two forest trolls living so close to their home, so far from their normal territory.

Her mother was last to step out of the room and Ginny let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding.
They had been talking for a good hour by now, and to say she was getting tired was an understatement, Lily not looking much better, while Ron had already dozed off on the big ornate living room armchair, next to the still crackling fireplace.

Ginny turned to face a tired Lily, the redheaded girl had dark bags under her eyes, less from the late hour, since it was only around 10:30 pm, but more so from the more than stressful day that lay behind them.

"I think I came off relatively unscathed from that whole discussion," Ginny stated, before clutching her temple.
"Grounded, and missing my wooden swords. I am not stoked about it, but it could've been worse."
She gave Lily a weak smile which the other girl reciprocated.

"Well, my parents have yet to arrive, I am not looking forward to it." Lily honestly told her, grimacing.
"I wish I could somehow drag it out until tomorrow, because I am just tired, after all this drama and chaos."
She sighed, her head perking up as the sound of hooves on gravel was heard from outside.
"And here they come, on announcement."
She took a deep breath and Ginny felt for what her friend would have to go through now.

Wanting to give the girl some alone time with her parents she quickly jumped to her feet, nodding a goodbye to a grateful-looking Lily, before pacing towards a sleeping Ron, whose shoulder she gently pulled on, as his eyes fluttered open.

"Am up, am up…" He muttered in confusion, still half asleep, and Ginny only gestured for him to follow her out of the room.

He looked annoyed in his sleepy daze but did as instructed while Ginny quickly explained that Lily's parents had arrived, and would come in any second with her own mother and father.

Fred and George had also left for bed a while ago, and just as Ron and Ginny stepped from the room she saw how a salt and pepper-haired man followed by a dark-haired woman burst through the front door, worry and fear edged onto their tired faces, trailed by her own two parents.

"Oh, Lily darling!—"

Was the last thing she heard the beautiful-looking woman exclaim in worry before Ginny closed the door behind them.
Lily had to do this on her own, it would be better that way, she needed that alone time with her parents.

Ginny wished Ron goodnight, before she herself vanished up the tightly winding wooden staircase, concentrating to not miss one of the crooked asymmetric steps.

She finally reached the third floor, opening the door to her room, the familiar look soothing her as she fell face first onto the soft hay mattress, taking a deep breath.

Finally, she had made it, she had survived, not only the trolls but also her parents' gentle wrath.

And for the first time today, she could let the tears fall, she had been so scared, she had thought she would die today, staring those things in the eyes.
She clutched her pillow tightly feeling the tears wet it around her face, so lost in thought, not noticing that the door had opened behind her, as suddenly warm gentle hands came around her, and she flinched, desperately trying to still discretely wipe the tears from her face, she didn't want to be seen like this, like a baby, scared and weak.

"Shhh darling. It's okay, let it all out." Her father's soothing voice sounded out, as he laid down next to her, tightly clutching her to his chest.

For one more second she wanted to keep acting like nothing had happened, before she decided otherwise, and simply turned into him, burrowing into his chest as she wept into his shirt.

His big hands were soothingly caressing her back, while he spoke to her in his soft warm voice.
"Oh darling, it's alright, you were so brave today, I am so proud of you. Just let it all out."

And Ginny did.
She clung to him desperately, feeling safe in his big embrace as she cried and cried.
His shirt wet from her tears, until after a few minutes, her breathing became shallower, and she felt herself finally calm. His warm body was comfortable and familiar, as she slowly but contently drifted into a much-needed deep slumber, protected by her loving father.

Lily felt the early morning sun tickle her nose as her eyes slowly fluttered open, blinded by yellow brightness.

She was lying in her parent's bed, comfortably squished up between the both of them.
The room slowly came into focus and her tired eyes fell on the dust dancing through the air, lit up by the steep sun rays falling through their big bedroom window.

She rolled onto her right side, now face to face with her still soundly asleep mother. She looked peaceful, her soft features relaxed, unbothered by the chaos of last evening that would soon come back to her, the second that she would wake from her rest.

Lily sighed, closing her eyes again, not with the intention of sleeping though.
Her mind quickly wandered to last day's events, how they had searched for Luna, eventually found her, and then came face to face with the forest trolls.
She shivered, remembering how the tall creature had stared her down, yellow teeth bared, dark eyes gleaming in blood lust.

But she was also reminded how Ginny had sent it flying with nothing but her mind, how they made it out unharmed, and how they had to explain the whole ordeal— first to Ginny's —then to her own parents.
The disappointment in her mother's eyes after they had arrived home, late at night.
The pure fear quickly yielded for untamable relief on her father's face, as he spotted her, sitting at the dinner table in a stranger's home.

They had been so worried, looking everywhere, at the pond, in the village, at home…

Her father had already alerted the city council, that a young red-haired girl— his own daughter —had been missing.
After, they had clung to her in pure relief for what had seemed like an eternity, they had lectured her for a good hour. She was grounded, for the foreseeable future, no pond, no friends, just homework and chores.
She didn't complain, she knew it was deserved.

They had finally arrived home at around midnight, her father had instantly taken off to alert the search team that had been sent out, that the girl in question had been found after all.
To their elation the group was simply relieved she had been found safe and unharmed, luckily harboring no hard feelings based on the fact they had been out on some Hail- Mary mission, looking for her in the middle of the god-forsaken night.

She had to suppress a snort, what idiots they had been, going out there on their own, not thinking about what they could encounter.
And it almost bit them in the butt, yet in the end, they had come out successful, the thought filled Lily with enormous pride.

She finally decided to crawl out of bed, careful not to wake her still quietly snoring parents in the process.
Lily took a few steps, still a bit shaky on her tired feet, as she sauntered over to the bedroom window, letting her eyes wander over the graveled road below, it was still very early, the sun just about having risen over the horizon, bathing the already busy little village in a slight orangey tinge.
As people trudged the narrow streets, carrying wood, stone, and tools, ox carriages pulling grain, men on horseback, their posture straight their gazes proud, feeling superior to the so-called common folk. Not everybody could afford themselves a horse for riding out here.

She spun around again, her eyes taking in the still silent room, only the shallow breathing of her parents audible, nothing else moving.

She spotted her reflection in the life-sized bedside mirror, a young girl, with dark red, chest long hair, sporting a confident gaze.

And it reminded her of another redhead.
Lily had made a new best friend, she was certain of that already, Ginny simply got her, and she couldn't wait to see her again, together they would conquer the world!

End Notes

There will be a big time skip next chapter, and many new characters will soon be introduced since the prologue is over now :)
Please review and tell me what you think about it! :)